political institutions

Scholars convene on methods and trends in subnational policy making research

by Bedrosian Center

“The study of state and local politics has taken off over the last decade. Data, methods, and research interests have evolved. There are a variety of important questions that can’t be examined well at the Federal level, because of severe case limitations.  But scholars can get leverage on these questions thanks to the sizable and interesting variation that exists at the state and local levels,” said Jeff Jenkins as he brought together scholars from across the nation to examine the study of subnational policy making.

Bedrosian Director presenting at the 2018 Congress & History Conference, Princeton

by Bedrosian Center

Jeffery Jenkins, Bedrosian Center Director, and co-author Thomas Gray will be presenting a paper at the 2018 Congress & History Conference at Prinecton University on June 7-8, 2018. The paper is titled “A Bridge Too Far?: Examining Bridging Assumptions in Common-Space Estimations.” It will be presented as part of a three paper panel on “Methodological…

First annual political institutions, economy conference highlights cross-disciplinary collaboration

by Bedrosian Center

With the goal of fostering cross-disciplinary synergies among political economy scholars and fill the need for a regular meeting place, the USC PIPE Collaborative hosted the First Annual Political Institutions and Political Economy Conference on March 15-16, convening major U.S. scholars from political science, economics, and law to cover important new research on topics such as the unilateral presidency, Congressional committees, city policies, electoral rules, political leadership, and partisanship.

Why the Federal Reserve Is More Politically Constrained Than You Think

by Anthony W. Orlando

We’ve been having a mistaken debate, or so it would seem based on the new book The Myth of Independence. The Federal Reserve, the nation’s central bank and most influential economic regulator, isn’t as independent as critics like Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders suggest. Congress created it, and Congress continues to shape it to the people’s will. This new perspective might just change your expectations about Fed policy and your appreciation for their delicate strategic work. This episode features Sarah Binder, professor of political science at George Washington University and a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution.

To listen to this episode of Our American Discourse, click the arrow in the player here. Or  download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, Google Play,  Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app – click the links or search “usc bedrosian.”

‘Parties & Partisanship in the Age of Trump’ symposium gathers scholars nationwide at USC Bedrosian Center

by Bedrosian Center

According to Bedrosian Center Director Jeffery Jenkins, “there are few issues more important today than partisanship. We live in a world today where partisan divisions run so deep that some of the most basic things we expect from government aren’t being done.  People inside and outside of Congress are more interested in skewering the other side rather than work together or find common ground.”

Bedrosian Center, Jenkins convene national scholars for ‘Pivotal Politics’ symposium

by Bedrosian Center

By Matthew Kredell

Nearly 20 years ago, Stanford Professor Keith Krehbiel wrote a book showing that political parties are less important in legislative-executive politics than previously thought — challenging previous assumptions of American politics and influencing the work of many up-and-coming scholars. USC Price School of Public Policy Provost Professor Jeffery Jenkins was completing graduate school when Krehbiel released Pivotal Politics: A Theory of U.S. Lawmaking in 1998.

PIPE* Collaborative: Chris Tausanovitch, Assistant Professor, Political Science, UCLA

by Bedrosian Center

“Measuring Policy Preferences” Chris Tausanovitch, assistant professor of Political Science at UCLA, will be discussing his research. For more than a half-century, scholars have grappled with the question of whether Americans’ responses to policy questions reflect a shared belief system, or indeed anything more than a spur-of-the-moment inclination. However, surveys typically ask only a few questions…

The Nine

by Bedrosian Center, Bedrosian Center

This episode of the Bedrosian Book Club Podcast features a conversation on Jeffrey Toobin’s The Nine.

We discuss the role ideology and politics have played in the court and the role rule of law plays in our constitutional republic. This was taped in the summer, so this is not a conversation on the Gorsuch nomination, rather it is background discussion on the role of the judicial branch and the role of ideology within the branch.